


Honorary Whitewing

by Caraidean



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: idk man this was meant to be an RP prompt and it spiraled out of control, just go with it, set at some point in Act II and after a hypothetical Awakening Kids banner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 20:22:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13865325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caraidean/pseuds/Caraidean
Summary: Catria has a fangirl, and she’s initially not that impressed. She reconsiders this assessment during a shared night patrol at a Nifl fort.





	Honorary Whitewing

There was something about the new girl that irritated Catria, she would admit that. While it wasn't that she was opposed to more Pegasus Knights joining the ranks of Askr's Order - far from it, the Macedonian school of thought always valuing air superiority over almost any other battlefield tactic - her actions and personality were...difficult for her to deal with. Never mind the rumors she'd heard, that she had grown up fighting for her life from a young age, mind doubtlessly scarred from the experiences she had to deal with, there was no excuse for such behavior. She was a professional, damn it all, and she hated every second that the girl disgraced her ideal of a Pegasus Knight. 

"Did you really fight two dozen pirates by yourself on the voyage to Valentia?!"

And, of course, there were the endless questions. Catria withheld a groan as she hung her head, eyes rolling slightly as the grip on her lance tightened. Eventually she turned her head, giving her companion on tonight's watch a level stare with a single raised eyebrow. Cynthia paused, mouth half-open to ask another question, before she flinched back and chuckled awkwardly. 

"Sorry. I'm talking too much." She mumbled, looking away. Catria sighed, reminded for an instant of Est's younger years through the sheer energy and enthusiasm, leaning forwards and answering her question after a few moments. She had to take pity on her eventually, after all. 

"Palla was there as well. And there was only six each." She said, pausing. "Of course, there were more, but we mostly evaded them until we grouped up with Lady Celica and looked for Est proper. Eventually we found her, and from there we had bigger issues than fighting a few pirates."

"I know! I know!" Cynthia's energy was returning now that Catria was talking again, beaming. "I, uh...I got Celica to tell me about most of it when I first got here. I didn't know she'd be so nice!"

"She's always been like that." Catria let out a slight laugh. "Quite a difference, moving from Lady Minerva to her as a commander, but they share more in common than most would think. I always thought the two would get along quite well should circumstances arise for them to meet."

"Do they?" Cynthia asked, and Catria blinked in surprise. "I  mean, surely they've met while we're here. They both beat me here, after all."

"...true." She admitted, frowning slightly. "I haven't seen them talk to each other, but I suppose it must have happened by now. Perhaps I'll ask one of them later."

They exited the hall, heading out onto the battlements as their breath started to mist in front of them. The fort they were using as a base in Nifl was caught in one of the kingdom's seemingly endless winters, and while many of the others were complaining about the temperature the two Pegasus Knights were adapting surprisingly well. Then again, Catria reflected, it wasn't that surprising - it got cold up in the sky, particularly if you went high enough. They were already acclimatized to poor climate, no wonder they were put on night watch. 

"Anything?" Cynthia asked eventually, their walk having turned to silence as they headed around the walls. Catria shook her head, wincing as the other girl let out an exaggerated groan. "Augh, this sucks! It's so boring! The Order of Heroes is meant to be about heading around kicking ass and being, well, heroes, not walking around on a wall looking at a whole bunch of snow!"

"It's about doing your duty." Catria said sharply, making Cynthia flinch as she gave her a steady glare. "Not everything is glamorous, Cynthia. If you never learned that in your world, I wonder what kind of commanders you had."

"Hey, Lucy was a good commander!" Cynthia defended her friend, cheeks coloring noticeably further even under the pinched-red look brought on by the gold. "She didn't care about that kind of stuff! Well, okay, maybe a little, but she never got that mad about it!"

" _Princess Lucina_  was under a great deal of pressure from what I heard and likely didn't have the time to deal with your antics." Catria's glare sharpened a little, and Cynthia shrank under her gaze. "You must have made her life far more difficult than it needed to be."

"...that's not true." Cynthia said quietly, but there was doubt in her voice. Catria sighed eventually, closing her eyes. 

"No, that was unfair of me." She said eventually, resting her back against the wall of the ramparts and glancing back over the empty fields. "I know you weren't in a proper military. I imagine discipline was lax all around."

"A little." Cynthia giggled. She paused, looking over at her companion with guilty eyes, and Catria felt a sudden pang. "...do you really think I'm that irritating?"

Catria wasn't sure how to answer that, and the long silence was all the answer Cynthia needed, shoulders slumping. "Yeah. I guess I am. Maybe I should act more like you, or your sister. Like the pegasus knights in the stories my mother used to read me. That's all I ever wanted to be...guess I've got some more work to do, huh?"

That was it, wasn't it? Catria reflected, tapping her fingers against her lance. The entire reason Cynthia sought out her company so much, asked so many questions. She grew up on stories of people like her sisters - and, well, Catria herself. Gods, she must have been an inspiration to the child, and now she was crushing her with endless criticisms, dousing her with the same self-doubt that she used to suffer from before Palla talked her out of it. She smiled gently, putting a hand on the girl's hair and ruffling it slightly. 

"You're acting like Est used to." She said gently, ignoring Cynthia's freezing up and the blush spreading over her face. "My sister is just as much of a real pegasus knight as I am. You don't need to change, Cynthia, just...there is a time and a place, you know?"

"I know." Cynthia mumbled. An idea struck Catria then, and she paused as Cynthia turned away to stare over the grounds, remembering all she'd learned of the other's exploits. Endless fighting from a young age, but more importantly she had saved countless lives. In Catria's reckoning, Cynthia was more of a hero than she was, in both of the timelines that she had served in. She reached up and unhooked her headband as she stared away, brushing blue hair out of her eyes and smiling slightly at the dull white surface. She remembered when she got this, from Minerva herself upon the Whitewing's formation, marking her and her sisters as being in a class of their own. 

She had more of them, she reflected dryly, and tapped Cynthia's shoulder. The younger girl turned to face her again, and her eyes widened as Catria held it out. "Here. Take this."

"But..." Cynthia's hands were trembling as she took it, an awestruck look on her face. "This is..."

"Yes." Catria acknowledged, gently folding her fingers over it. "Put it on."

"But these are for Whitewings!" She blurted out, running a hand through her hair. "I - there's only been eight of you in history! You and your sisters, and five others after you died! It's meant to be a - a symbol of being this great, heroic pegasus knight - oh."

Cynthia's mind caught up to what she was saying, and with trembling hands she strapped it to her head. Catria had to let out a small giggle, the girl putting it on top of her hair in her hurry to fix it in place, resulting in her having a somewhat comical look between the strands caught on top of each other and the one pigtail haphazardly caught under it. 

"I wasn't that experienced when I first got it. You are certainly more qualified than I was when Minerva gave it to me." She said gently, fixing the pigtail that had gotten caught under the headband. "I might not be a Macedonian noble, so I lack the official authority to mark you as one, but...well, surely Honorary Whitewings must exist at some point, hm?"

At that Cynthia turned so bright that Catria was afraid the woman would burst into flame. "I - well, I mean, but - you're so much more-"

"Cynthia. I've had that headband since I was nineteen. Est got hers at  _fifteen_." She assured her quietly. "I may disagree with your attitude, and to be honest I may grow sick of your questions, but understand this - I have never questioned your abilities or deeds. And you deserve to be marked as one just as much as Palla, Est, or myself. Never doubt yourself again, understand?"

"Thank you." Cynthia squeaked, and she seemed torn between fainting and crying. Catria let out a chuckle, patting her on the back and lightly shoving her towards the door. 

"Go on, find a mirror and fix that. You look ridiculous." She turned back to the barren wastes of snow, hearing Cynthia's feet clatter as she headed back inside. So much like Est. She was lost in thought for a while, interrupted by Cynthia joining her again, hair lifted to rest over the headband and looking every part the Whitewing that Catria had marked her as. Well, save that stupid armor and uniform, Catria frowned. Gods, who had approved that damned collar?

"So, uh...I have another question." Cynthia admitted after a second, and Catria groaned a little. "Sorry, sorry! But, uh...where _did_  Est go after it was all over? I couldn't find it in any books, like, anywhere. Why did she leave Abel? Oh, oh, were Palla and Minerva really a thing? Did you ever find someone other than Prince Marth? Say, did you fight in any more wars after your third? Did you ever go back to Valentia?"

... _gods_ , but she still wished she would calm down.


End file.
